1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cassette loading device including a cassette holder provided in a frame for removably receiving a cassette therein and carrying the cassette between a cassette receiving position and a cassette playing position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A cassette loading device of the type mentioned is already known, and an exemplary one of such conventional cassette loading devices is shown in FIGS. 8a to 8d. In particular, referring to FIGS. 8a to 8d, a digital audio tape recorder (DAT) in which a conventional cassette loading device is incorporated is shown at different stages of operation. The digital audio tape recorder shown includes a cassette holder 62 for removably receiving therein a cassette 61 in which a magnetic tape not shown is accommodated and carrying the cassette 61 between a cassette receiving position and a cassette playing position, a slide lever 63 for engaging with an end portion of the cassette 61 to be moved by the cassette 61, a frame 64 for guiding the slide lever 63 in movement by way of a guide pin not shown thereon, and a deck base 66 having a capstan motor not shown, a tape reel not shown and so forth mounted on an upper face thereof.
In loading operation of a cassette 61 into the digital audio tape recorder, at first the cassette 61 is manually inserted into the cassette holder 62 until it is engaged with an end portion of the slide lever 63 and held in position in the cassette holder 62 as shown in FIG. 8a. Then, the cassette 61 is manually pushed in the direction indicated by an arrow mark A in FIG. 8a with a force higher than the force with which the cassette 61 has been inserted. Thereupon, the slide lever 63 is moved by the cassette 61 in the same direction under the guidance of the frame 64 as seen in FIG. 8b so that it operates a start switch not shown. In response to such operation of the start switch, a cassette holder actuating mechanism not shown is driven to move the cassette holder 62 in the direction indicated by an arrow mark B together with the cassette 61. After the cassette holder 62 comes to a predetermined position, the slide lever 63 is spaced away from the cassette 61 and further moved under the guidance of the frame 64 as seen in FIG. 8c by an action of a center over spring not shown. After then, the cassette holder 62 is moved down to integrally move the cassette 61 to a predetermined playing position as shown in FIG. 8d.
When the cassette 61 is to move reversely from the playing position shown in FIG. 8d to the receiving position shown in FIG. 8a, the cassette 61, cassette holder 62 and slide lever 63 operate in the individually reverse directions.
With such a conventional digital audio tape recorder as described above, in order to prevent the cassette holder 62 from colliding with the frame 64 which guides the slide lever 63 when the cassette holder 62 is moved between the cassette receiving position and the cassette playing position, a clearance dimension H.sub.1 must be provided between the cassette holder 62 and the frame 64 as seen in FIG. 8c, which increases the overall vertical dimension of the digital audio tape recorder as much. Besides, the length of the frame 64 which guides the slide lever 63 in movement must necessarily be at least greater than a distance over which the slide lever 63 is moved, which increases the depthwise dimension of the digital audio tape recorder as much. Accordingly, the conventional digital audio tape recorder is disadvantageous in that miniaturization thereof cannot be achieved sufficiently.